Waverton Investment Management Ltd Makes New Investment in Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 378,852 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $18,312,000. Waverton Investment Management Ltd owned 0.34% of Air Lease as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in Air Lease during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Air Lease in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Air Lease during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Air Lease by 88.1% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 743 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Engine Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Air Lease in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.59% of the company's stock.

Air Lease Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE:AL opened at $58.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $54.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.23. Air Lease Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $38.25 and a fifty-two week high of $59.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.36.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $738.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $709.70 million. Air Lease had a net margin of 24.77% and a return on equity of 8.04%. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Lease Corporation will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Lease Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. Air Lease's payout ratio is presently 15.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Lease from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Lease from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $72.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group set a $50.00 target price on Air Lease in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Air Lease from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $45.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.43.

Insider Activity at Air Lease

In related news, EVP Grant A. Levy sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.85, for a total value of $568,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 146,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,318,064.60. This trade represents a 6.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.64% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Air Lease

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. The company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios.

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